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Hydrological drought
Despite several days of rain, the country’s rivers are still seriously depleted. Named the father of rivers, the Nemunas are also going through a difficult period. The water level in the Nemunas is close to the limit of hydrological drought.
“The water is drifting a little more than usual, both the Neris and the Nemunas are up to half a meter lower than usual in August. Maybe the situation is a little better in the north of Lithuania, over Panevėžys, Pasvalys The rivers are not so bad there, but everywhere. There is slightly higher monitoring in the country than usual in August, “said Juozas Šimkus, Head of the Hydrological Observations Division of the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service.
According to the hydrologist, the depleted level of the river is affected by the droughts of the last two years and the fact that the rainfall was not evenly distributed in July, but rather fell as the rains fell. Rains only occasionally raise the water level in the river, but there is no stability.
BNS indicated that in 2018 and 2019. Specialists have announced the so-called hydrological drought: this is the limit when river levels do not reach the lowest average water level recorded in several years during the warm season. According to J.Šimkus, this critical indicator has not been reached this summer, but the situation can only be changed in a drier week.
With the onset of the hydrological drought, the minimum living conditions of the ecosystem are no longer guaranteed. Fish is in play first.
“Fish is the biggest threat, because a small amount of water in the first place means that the concentration of pollutants increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases,” said J. Šimkus.
If it doesn’t rain anymore, the rocket may also have to stop next week.
Constantly looking
The Inland Waterways Directorate (VVKD) monitors the areas of the Nemunas River that are shallower. This information is published periodically on the website of the Directorate, so shipowners must keep updated and check that it is possible to navigate.
“The situation of the Nemunas River from the shipping point of view has not changed: from Kaunas to the estuary ships of the corresponding draft can sail, it is only necessary to monitor the VVKD website, where the information is updated every working day. As the inflow of water is minimal, even less is needed below the Kaunas HPP. sailing conditions, so the depths are not great.
Due to the drought, the Kaunas hydroelectric power station produces six times less energy. (Photo by Justina Lasauskaitė)
The rainiest period of the last days is not affected. Only momentary increases in water levels have been observed, but there is still a tendency for water levels to drop or stabilize at the lowest point. In principle, the hydrological situation would only improve with intense and longer rains lasting one or two weeks, ”said the representatives of VVKD.
They noted that currently the shallowest and most dangerous places for navigation in the Nemunas are above Jurbarkas. In Kaimelis the depth reaches 1.15 m, in Seredžius and Belvederis – between 1.05-1.20 m. Direct dredgers are already working here.
“The situation is constantly monitored throughout the Nemunas, giving priority to highway E 41 (Kaunas – Nida). Once the roads in the aforementioned shoals are repaired, the team will immediately move to other locations,” explained VVKD.
The following minimum depths are indicated on the website of the Directorate: Lampėdžiai – 1.15 m, Altoniškis – 1.15, Piesčiai – 1.15, Ž.Panemunė – 1.10, Sutkiškiai – 1.10, Ragainė – 0 , 95 m and others. According to the specialists who monitor the Nemunas, in many places shipping is saved by changing the location of the buoys of the navigation signals.
A hit to shipping
Desperate Nemunas can also deal a blow to entrepreneurs who engage in commercial boating activities. Only the high-speed rocket launched this summer can also be stopped, although this spacecraft needs less than a meter of depth.
Representatives of the VVKD pointed out that it is still difficult to predict what the hydrometeorological situation will be, how the river flow will stabilize, how shoals with such a low water content will form. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether in a few weeks “Raketa” will be able to sail from Kaunas to Nida and vice versa.
“VVKD carries out the maintenance works of the Nemunas river waterway from Kaunas to the estuary in a consistent and planned manner from the beginning of navigation: the waterway is marked with navigation signs, its construction site is constantly inspected To ensure safe navigation on the marked waterway, shallow clearance work is carried out.
The surface dredging is carried out by two dredgers of the Directorate: “Nemuno 11” and “Upyna”, currently operating in the districts of Nemunas Jurbarkas and Šakiai, the floating crane “PK-10” works in Kaunas “, the representatives of VVKD commented on efforts to ensure navigability.
Nerijus Šilgalis, head of the public institution “Vandens kelias”, which manages the ship “Raketa”, assured “Kauno dienai” that before each departure the Nemunas road is inspected and it is checked whether the boat will cover the entire route and not will navigate the shoals. However, he conceded that if the water level in the Nemunas continues to drop, the Rocket’s boating season may end earlier than planned.
Although the Missiles only need a depth of 70 cm, this ship may not be able to navigate either. (Photo by Eitvydas Kinaitis)
“We only need a depth of 70cm, but the Nemunas is obviously sold out, so before we check the Rockets, we check every time. The day before sailing, we sail another boat and see where the depth is. We still wait for the rain adjust the depth, because still last week the Nemunas were predicted to go down 8 cm, but after a little rain the water level went up a centimeter. At the moment we have enough depth, but if there is no more rain, it is We may have to stop the rocket next week, – noted N.Šilgalis.
Power plant malfunction
The lack of water in the Nemunas and Kaunas lagoons also adjusts the operation of the Algirdas Brazauskas Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP). It operates in a much smaller mode than necessary to meet environmental requirements.
Tadas Markevičius, spokesperson for Ignitis gamyba, the management company of the Kaunas hydroelectric power station, explained that the reduction in the flow of the Nemunas due to the dry climate prevailing in Lithuania in recent weeks does not allow to use all the capacities of the Kaunas hydroelectric power station .
“According to environmental protection requirements, the amount of water supplied is sufficient to power a single hydroelectric unit. Of the four hydroelectric units at the Kaunas hydroelectric power station, one, and not all of its capacity, is currently in operation (16 MW). This is about 6 times less than what this power plant could produce at 101 MW. “, It says in the comment sent to” Kaunas Day “.
According to the representatives of Igtinis Production, the activities are planned and carried out in accordance with the rules of use and maintenance of the Kaunas HPP pond. They stipulate that if a water inflow of less than 112 m3 / s is recorded for three consecutive days, the Kaunas HPP will discharge only the amount of water to the Nemunas that flows into the lagoon.
“The inflow of less than 112 m3 / s in the Kaunas Lagoon has been monitored since the morning of July 17, we reported in this regard to the Directorate of Inland Waterways, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Kaunas Lagoon Regional Park and other related institutions. Tuesday, August 4, according to the data, the water supply to the Kaunas HPP was 88 m3 / s. Currently, the hydroelectric plant does not modify the natural flow of the river ” noted T. Markauskas.
The rainiest period in recent days has no effect, only slight and momentary increases in the water level have been observed.
According to experts, isolated rains, although heavy, do not substantially affect the current situation. Most of the precipitation is absorbed in the dehydrated land, evaporates and the rest is absorbed by the forests of the south of the country.
“For this reason, only a very small part of the precipitation enters the rivers. Also, in hot climates, the rivers degrade due to the evaporation process. And when the Kaunas hydroelectric power plant is operating at full capacity, up to 158 m³ / s of water flow through a turbine, a heavy rain to reach that level. the level is definitely not enough “, – representatives of the Kaunas hydroelectric power company” Ignitis gamyba “spoke about the need for more rains prolonged.
Photo by Justina Lasauskaitė
Although the Department of Environmental Protection is informed about the situation in the Nemunas, its representatives are reluctant to comment on anything in detail. “Kauno diena” had asked environmentalists what the possible consequences would be if the water level in the Nemunas continues to drop, if there is a chance that the fish will die and the entire ecosystem will be damaged. The representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection limited themselves to stating that they were obliged to exercise control within their competence and that other services could comment on the consequences. Specialists are advised to contact hydrologists or the Fisheries Service.
He also pointed out that it was not his responsibility to answer about what could happen to the fish if the water level in the Nemunas drops further, and indicated that such answers could be provided by the Wildlife Institute, but no one answered the questions. from Kauno diena in a few days. did not answer.
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